Walking out of the theater I couldn’t help but think to myself “I can’t wait to sell this movie to our readers!”

More than just a history lesson on 20th century advertising, Art & Copy is the story of some of the most influential creatives of our time. Ones that have profoundly impacted our society and shaped our everyday lifestyle. That is, if we are to define ‘lifestyle’ as the site where consumer culture and individual identity intersect.

In his latest effort, Director Doug Pray (SURFWISE, SCRATCH, HYPE!) introduces us to the artists and writers that exploded onto the scene during advertising’s heyday or the “creative revolution” of the 1960s. And chances are that you, over the last few decades, whether you like it or not, have fallen victim to the people featured in this film: George Lois, Mary Wells, Dan Wieden, Lee Clow and Hal Riney. We may not recognize their names but we’ve certainly heard from them: “Where’s the Beef?”, “Got Milk?”, “Just Do It”, “Think Different” are just a few of the slogans that have swayed us throughout the years.

Most might ‘sell’ Art & Copy as the ‘behind the music’ of advertising or as an addendum to the ever so popular AMC series ‘Madmen’. And while it is true that fans of the show will most certainly get a kick out of meeting the real life versions of their Madison Avenue heroes, Art & Copy is ultimately an inspiring documentary that explores the power of creativity, not just to sell a car to a customer or a president to a nation, but to problem solve. As George Lois puts it: “The creative act, the defeat of habit by originality, overcomes everything.”